Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Recovery Rundown

There have been a few factors in my stepping away from this blog, but I felt I had to write this post. For posterity, or something. It's been a month and ten days since my surgery. In that time, I've gone to and graduated from physical therapy and started running again. I'll see my surgeon October 16 and will book my left leg's surgery on that day.

In physical therapy, I did a variety of exercises which helped strengthen my calf while improving mobility post-surgery. I did leg lifts, heel and toe raises, squats, leg presses, and lots of fun balancing exercises. (I think the therapists liked challenging me because I always rose to the occasion and they aren't used to having a willing guinea pig.) Each session always ended with a massage and 10 minutes in an ice boot while receiving TENs stimulation.

They put me on the bike early on and started working short treadmill runs into my routine about four weeks post-op. Everyone at PT seemed impressed by two things:

1. How quickly I was recovering. I've always been a textbook healer and when something is serious I take my orders seriously. Meaning, I actually obeyed orders, didn't run or overdo my stretches, moisturized, elevated, iced, and compressed. I wasn't surprised when I bounced back fairly quickly.

2. The precision of my incisions. Dr. Guerra is an artist! My scars are very thin and flat. They're still red/purple, but I know that will fade in time.

After a night of dancing at a friend's wedding, my right leg was super swollen, so I am still wearing compression socks daily.

My last physical therapy appointment (for this leg) was October 9; my PT told me that because I've begun running on my own again, from a PT standpoint there's not much more they can do for me. But I'll see them again once the left leg is done.

You can see where my right leg lost quite a bit of muscle.

I've done a couple short runs on my own using 3:1 intervals and my right leg is feeling amazing. Yes, it feels a bit weak, but it is pain-free. My left leg is another story; it is still tightening up badly. This is kind of a good thing because it makes the path very clear for me: the fasciotomy worked on my right leg and I need to repeat the process on my left.

A real run!

In the meantime, I am going to enjoy the little runs I can, get back to the gym, and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel.